The present invention relates to a winder for particular use in the textile industry for the winding of continuous length web material onto a beam under controlled density conditions.
In the processing of continuous webs, principally textile materials, the handling of the materials during passage through the various conventional processes is particularly important in order to ensure high quality materials. In particular the handling of a textile web during certain processes can lead to adverse effects in further downstream processes resulting in unacceptable or second quality goods, or a necessity for reprocessing. A prime example of such a process is the winding of a textile fabric onto a beam for subsequent dyeing of same on the beam.
While textile materials may be dyed according to a number of different processes, one such process as mentioned above, involves production of a roll of fabric about a metal beam or core which is perforated, and subsequent placement of the entire beam or roll of fabric into an appropriate dye vessel where the dyeing of the fabric is accomplished on the beam. Normally, beams of textile material are significant in size, having a length in excess of one hundred inches and weighing several thousand pounds. With the beam or core perforated, dye liquor may be introduced internally of the beam and pass under pressure therethrough, flowing outwardly through the various fabric layers that are located around the beam. In the event a beam of fabric is improperly wound, i.e. the density of fabric around the beam is not correct for the particular style of fabric, improper dyeing can result. Specifically, if the fabric is wound too tightly around the beam it becomes increasingly difficult for the dye liquor to properly penetrate the individual fabric layers to achieve even dyeing. Conversely, a fabric wound too loosely around a beam will permit the dye liquor to pass too rapidly through the various layers of fabric, or to escape the roll, both perhaps leading to improper dyeing. Still further, should the roll of fabric include certain layers that are tightly wound and certain layers that are loosely wound, again dye liquor will not make proper contact with the individual layers of fabric, to yield even dyeing.
In the event an uneven dyeing results, it generally then becomes necessary, if possible, to unwind the fabric from the beam, reprocess the fabric to produce a further beam and redye same. All of such reprocessing leads not only to excessive costs and production time, but likewise a second dyeing operation may be limited to certain colors or shades by the prior dyeing operation.
In a conventional processing sequence, fabric is passed through a number of pieces of process equipment prior to being wound onto a dye beam. Without specificity, since such does not form a part of the present invention, suffice it to say that it is important that fabric be wound onto a beam in a proper disposition such that appropriate dyeing may be subsequently achieved. It has been conventional for knit fabrics that, immediately prior to being wound onto the dye beam, fabric is passed through a tenter frame where it may be dryed, heat treated or the like, but where primarily, for purposes of proper winding onto a dye beam, the fabric is engaged at opposite selvages by clips or pins and moves through the tenter frame in a controlled open width condition. Tenters, in fact, often have the capability to control a fabric to present the fabric in an appropriate and flattened condition at the exit from the tenter where the fabric begins its movement around a dye beam or core.
Winders in general that have heretofore been utilized in the textile industry, have taken a number of forms. Systems have been employed where the core or beam only is driven for the winding of fabric therearound, conventionally referred to center drive winders. Additionally, winders have heretofore been produced where a driven roll is maintained adjacent an outer surface of the beam in contact with the beam initially and thereafter the outer layer of fabric, affording rotation to the beam for the formation of continuous fabric layers therearound. Such winders have conventionally been referred to as surface drive winders. Still further, winders have heretofore been provided with both center drive and surface drive capabilities, again attempting to produce a properly wound roll of fabric.
Still further, prior art winders have included pivotal support arms which are movable away from a surface drive unit as the diameter of the roll being produced increases. On such prior art winders, relative speed control of the surface drive unit has been utilized, for example, to afford a slight overfeed or underfeed of fabric to the roll being formed in an attempt to achieve a generally loosely or tightly wound roll of fabric, whichever is desired.
In all of the prior art winders alluded to above, it has been difficult to operate same while achieving a controlled density roll of fabric. As stated above, it is important to control density of the roll of fabric such that appropriate dyeing of same may be achieved. Along these lines, for example, it may be that a constant density across the diameter of the roll is desirable, or that a variable density profile be maintained across the diameter of the roll. Such factors could depend on fabric style, the dyeing process, or the like.
It has also historically been the case that handling of large beams or cores has involved manipulation of the beam with overhead cranes, or the like into a proper position relative to support arms. Once the beam is located in approximately the right position, conical chucks, normally of metal, are driven into open ends of the cores from adjacent support arms for proper location of the core for a subsequent winding operation. Not only is such arrangement time consuming and labor intensive, but also forces applied by the chucks against the cores in a metal-to-metal contact often creates damage to the core or beam, such as by enlargement of the inside diameter of same.
Certain winding of fabrics has heretofore been attempted for production of a controlled, constant density roll of fabric by way of surface drive only or by way of a surface center drive arrangement. One such further approach has involved surface-center drive winders where the surface drive unit is maintained out-of-contact with the roll being formed. The surface roll in such an arrangement thus acts only as a feed roll. Such an arrangement is fraught with problems stemming from uneven density. For example, it is apparent that a larger roll is heavier than one being newly formed. As a roll becomes heavier, obviously corrective measures are needed since nip pressure at the surface drive roll increases. Removal of the surface drive roll from contact with the roll to reduce nip pressure has resulted in density variation as well as other problems.
The improved winder of the present invention overcomes the problems noted above with prior art winders and is capable of producing a roll of fabric or other web material whose density may be controlled throughout the diameter of the roll. At the same time improved overall handling of cores and webs are both achievable.
While the known prior art has been generally set forth above, it is not believed that such is adequate to anticipate or suggest the method and structure according to the present invention as is described and claimed herein.